Eagles Work Overtime; Bring Home Trophy

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Sophomore kicker Jameson Schultz (Yucaipa) made his second of two field goals on the night in overtime Saturday as the MSJC football team grabbed a thrilling 25-22 victory over rival College of the Desert in front of a rowdy crowd of over 1,500 at Vista Murrieta High School.

The Eagles who scored first on a 5 yard run by Franex Dort (Lake Worth, FL) early in the second quarter had built a 19-7 lead before a wild finish pushed the game into overtime. COD scored a touchdown on a 30 yard pass play with 7:19 remaining in the game to cut the Eagles lead to 19-14. MSJC responded however with a 7 play 62 yard drive late in the game to set up a 37 yard field goal by Schultz with just :34 remaining that extended the Eagles lead to 8. The Roadrunners started their final drive of regulation at their own 40 and were able to take the ball 60 yards scoring a touchdown with no time on the clock. The game was then forced into overtime when COD converted the 2 point conversion.

In overtime MSJC got the ball first and cashed in with a 36 yard field goal by Schultz. The Eagles defense then forced COD to attempt a field goal in their overtime possession and the 30 yard attempt sailed wide left sending the Eagles to the victory. The win was the first for MSJC over the Roadrunners in four years and gave the Eagles back the Palms to Pines Trophy.

For the game Dort led the Eagles ground game with 117 yards on 12 carries with a TD. Sophomore Butch Tuvale (Ewa Beach, HI) added 41 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Freshman quarterback Nigel Barksdale (San Jacinto) managed the game well for the Eagles throwing for 160 yards on 8 of 18 passing. Freshman Zack Kinney (Great Oak) had three catches for 99 yards. Sophomore Larry Dowdell (Fultondale, GA) had 8 tackles to lead the defense, Brandon Thigpen had 6 tackles, and four other Eagles had 5 each. Cejay Ceniza (Las Vegas, NV) had an interception return of 78 yards that set up the first touchdown of the game for MSJC.

The Eagles (1-0) will be back in action Saturday night when they travel to Rancho Cucamonga to take on Chaffey College. Kick off is set for 6 pm.

Pictured (above) Jameson Schultz hits the game winning field goal in overtime Saturday. (Below) Members of the Eagels celebrate with the Palms to Pines Trophy after the 25-22 win over rival College of the Desert.